The field of the invention is that of openings for motor vehicles (cars of all types, commercial vehicles, lorries, coaches, etc.). More exactly, the invention relates to slide-open components, in particular motor-drive sliding doors.
Vehicles with sliding doors have been known for some time. They are often commercial vehicles or vehicles of the xe2x80x9cpeople carrierxe2x80x9d type. A sliding door must, when it is open, move in a plane approximately parallel to the bodywork plane. Therefore a tacking and sliding movement is generally provided, so as to allow the change in plane, when opening and closing.
To this end, a guide rail is installed which has a portion parallel to the vehicle edge (corresponding to the actual sliding) and a portion coming back in towards the vehicle (corresponding to the tacking).
It seems desirable for the opening and closing of such a door to be motor-driven, for reasons of comfort, efficiency and ergonomics. This may particularly allow opening and closing to be remote-controlled, and these opening and closing operations to be carried out easily even when the user has his arms full.
Different technologies allowing such motorization have been proposed, particularly using rack and pinion drive systems.
Generally speaking, a number of drawbacks have been observed with these known techniques. In particular, they are complicated to implement, and require a number of adjustments when being fitted into a vehicle. This involves slowing down the production line and the intercession of qualified personnel, and therefore additional vehicle manufacturing cost which clearly is not desirable (particularly in respect of top-of-the-range vehicles).
Moreover, the means employed (rack and pinion systems, actuators, etc.) are heavy, cumbersome and expensive. As a result, they can only be employed in specific vehicles of sufficient size.
The particular objective of the invention is to overcome these various drawbacks of the prior art.
More exactly, an objective of the invention is to provide sliding door drive technology, and a carriage and/or a corresponding sliding door, which are simple to assemble in a vehicle, without the need for adjustments or any special equipment.
Another objective of the invention is to provide such technology, which must be simple to realise and to implement.
Yet another objective of the invention is to provide such technology which has a smaller weight and height requirement.
A particular objective of the invention is to provide such technology, which is adapted to motor vehicles which are small in size (when compared to commercial vehicles or people carriers).
These objectives, and others which will appear subsequently, are met by means of a drive mechanism for a motor vehicle sliding door. According to the invention, said door is integral with at least one driven arm having a sliding zone in which a pin integral with a drive element is able to slide, in such a way that said door is able to tack and slide between a closed position, in the vehicle bodywork plane, and an open position, in a plane approximately parallel to said bodywork plane.
A very straightforward and efficient mechanism is thus obtained: moving the pin in a sliding motion allows the kinetics required for the door to be obtained, with a drive simplified by the driven element.
To advantage, said drive element is a cable tensioned between two pulleys, and driven by motorization means. As will be seen subsequently, this provides easy assembly and reduces weight.
According to a preferential embodiment, said motorization means rotate, in both directions, a coil extending approximately perpendicular to said bodywork plane, and around which said cable is wound and unwound over a sufficient number of revolutions to provide the opening and closing of said door.
To advantage, at least one of said pulleys is mounted on a tensioning device, in order to ensure cable tension above a pre-set threshold.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, said sliding zone is an oblong orifice.
In this event, said pin may include at least one screw and one nut, acting to grip said cable. According to another approach, said pin includes at least one housing for receiving a cable head mounted at one end of said cable.
Preferentially, said sliding zone extends approximately perpendicular to said bodywork plane.
The mechanism includes to advantage a guide rail, in which at least one carriage integral with said door is able to travel. Preferentially, said carriage includes at least one guide roller and/or at least one track roller.
To advantage, said carriage includes at least one element interlocking with said door, allowing said door to be assembled during construction of the vehicle. Preferentially, said interlocking element engages with a coupling element of said driven arm.
According to a particular aspect of the invention, said rail is to advantage fixed, at one of its ends, to a support element provided to carry motorization means and/or at least one first pulley.
Preferentially, said guide rail is fixed, at its other end, to at least one second pulley.
In this way, the drive mechanism of the invention forms to advantage a monobloc assembly ready to be fitted in a vehicle, with no need for adjustment.
The invention also concerns the processes of manufacturing and fitting a drive mechanism of this kind for a motor vehicle sliding door, and said door.
According to a first mode of implementation, a process of this type includes the following stages:
making, in a monobloc form, a drive mechanism including a guide rail, motorization means and drive means;
adjustment, if necessary, of said motorization means and/or said drive means;
making a door, or a carriage block provided to be fixed to said door, having at least one driven arm having a sliding zone;
fixing of said monobloc drive mechanism to the bodywork;
assembly on at least one guide rail of said door or of said carriage block previously fixed to said door;
assembly of a pin integral with a drive element driven by said motorization means in said sliding zone.
In this way assembly on the vehicle assembly line is made very straightforward.
According to a second embodiment, also very effective, the process includes the following stages:
making, in a monobloc form, a drive mechanism including a guide rail, motorization means, drive means and at least one driven arm having a sliding zone, a pin integral with a drive element driven by said motorization means able to slide in said sliding zone;
adjustment, if necessary, of said motorization means and/or said drive means;
making a door equipped with a carriage block;
fixing of said monobloc drive mechanism to the bodywork;
assembly of said door on at least one guide rail and fixing to said driven arm or arms.
The invention also relates to motor vehicle sliding doors, including at least one driven arm designed to engage with a drive mechanism as described above, as well as carriage blocks including at least one driven arm designed to engage with a drive mechanism of this kind, and provided so as to be fixed to a motor vehicle sliding door.
Finally, the invention further relates to motor vehicles including at least one drive mechanism as presented above.